Written by Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Development Fund has signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Hospitality, the umbrella brand of the German hotel company Steigenberger Hotels AG, to develop and operate Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels projects in the Kingdom.
The agreement, which was signed in the presence of Ahmed Al-Khatib, minister of tourism and chairman of the board of directors of the Tourism Development Fund, includes the right to exclusively launch the first Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels project in the Middle East. The MoU was signed by Qusai Al-Fakhri, CEO of TDF, and Marcus Bernhardt, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality.
The luxurious Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels will feature the distinctive Porsche lifestyle design coupled with Steigenberger hospitality and service quality, offering an innovative hotel concept within the lifestyle segment. With a minimum of 150 rooms, suites, and penthouses, the hotels will include a restaurant and lounge concept, exclusive meet and greet areas, and world-class health and beauty facilities, with a gym and wellness area. Guests will also benefit from an individualized journey at every touchpoint, driven by the hotel’s focus on hyper personalization, innovation, and functional approach.
TDF CEO Al-Fakhri said: “We are pleased to announce the signing of this MoU with Deutsche Hospitality, a company that blends world-class hospitality with elevated standards to attract entities to invest in, develop, and operate high-quality, iconic hotel projects in Saudi Arabia. Through this collaboration, which will result in first of its kind hospitality offerings, we continue to enhance the Kingdom’s tourism offering under the National Tourism Strategy.”
Bernhardt added: “We are pleased to collaborate with TDF to launch new hotel projects in Saudi Arabia, including the first Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotel in the Middle East. The project will cater to the sophisticated needs of the Saudi market, creating a unique and innovative experience within the Kingdom’s luxury lifestyle hotel segment that is sure to offer an incomparable guest experience. A Porsche Design Hotel in Saudi Arabia reflects our commitment to the region and our support for the Kingdom as a leading global tourist destination.”
TDF plays a pivotal role in advancing tourism development in Saudi Arabia by enabling private investors to participate in the sector. It provides support to SMEs and large institutions alike, ranging from planning to providing support from various tourism-related government agencies. The fund offers a variety of tailored solutions that suit the needs of investors, including direct financing, bank guarantees, and co-financing with banks.